Button-holder.



J. L. PRESI-IBL.

BUTTON HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED 11116.28, 1911.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

70 i .m 6 4M w. mi f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOI-IN L FRESHEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO TUFTING- MACHINESUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BUTTON-HOLDER.

To al whom fz'zt may concer/b.

Be it known that I, JOHN L. FnnsHEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Holders, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawing.

Tufting machines for making tufted pads or cushions for use inupholstering are provided with a plurality of upwardly projectingtufters or tuft-forming devices which are spaced apart upon the uppersurface of the mold or former to correspond with the number and locationof the depressions or tuft-pits in the face of the cushion or pad inwhich the outer and inner coverings are secured together, and in suchmachines as now generally used these tufters are in the form ofbutton-supports having seats for headed clench-buttons or t-ufting-nailsand means usually in the form of jaws or clamps, by which the buttons ornails are positioned on the supports with their points or shanksdirected upwardly7 and in extension of said tufters while the process ofmaking the cushion is being carried out and from which the buttons areadapted to be detached by lifting the pad after the prongs of the but.-tons are clenched to secure the inner and outer coverings together. Acushion or pad made by such machines consists usually of an upper orouter covering of cloth, leather, or the like, a lower covering orbacking of burlap or other suitable material, and a filling of hair,moss, or like material, the filling being divided into a number ofelevations or projections, and the inner and outer coverings beingsecured together in the tuft-pits between said elevations by suitableheaded buttons or nails, whose shanks or prongs pass therethrough andthrough suitable apertured disks or washers, over which they areclenched.

|The object of my invention is to provide a novel and improved forni oftufter or holder for tuft-buttons for upholstering apparatus in whichcompensating means are provided to automatically vary the distancebetween the button seats and ends of the clamp or jaws for buttonshaving relatively thick and thin heads so that heads of differentthickness shall be positively and auto- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 28, 1911.

Patented Oct. 29,1912.

Serial No. 646,483.

matically held in position with their prongs directed outwardly or inextension thereof and may readily be detached from the holders to tuftthe coverings together after the prongs have been bent.

The novel features of my invention will be hereinafter described, andclearly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section ofmold-board or former provided with tufters or buttonsuppo-rts embodyingmy invention and with one button in position; Figs. 2 and 3 are verticalsectional views taken at right angles to each other with the clampraised to position to receive and discharge a button; Fig. is a verticalsectional view of the holder with a button in place whose head isrelatively thin, and Fig. 5 is a similar View with a button in positionwhose head is relatively thick.

The reference letter A represents a mold or former provided with aplurality of upwardly projecting tufters, preferably in the form ofelongated tubes or hollow sleeves or posts, arranged in any desiredmanner to produce any suitable style or pattern of tufting in thefinished pad or cushion, and T represents the usual clench nails ortuftbuttons employed having heads t supported by the tufters or holdersduring the formation of the cushion or pad, these parts being now wellunderstood in the art.

Each tufter is in the form of a button holder, and the body of eachholder` consists of a sleeve or shell a, preferably a metallic tube orcylinder of elongated form closed at its lower end where it is providedwith an opening to receive a screw a by which it is fastened to the baseof the moldboardor former. A block B tits in the body a and is movablelongitudinally therein, being limited in its reciprocat-ion and heldagainst rotation by a pin moving in the slot o2 in the shell; the blockis recessed in its lower end as at b to t over the head of the screw aand at its upper end to provide a recess or button seat b2. A springclamp C is movably mounted on the block, and preferably consists of aU-shape spring strip whose lower cross or bow portion c fits in atransverse channel .723 in the base of the block and is retained thereinby a transverse crosspin 5t, with its opposite arms or jaws resting inand guided by opposite longitudinal slots or channels o5 in the sides orperii'neter of the block communicatingI with the trai'isverse channel attheir lower ends. The arms are bent outwardly as at c near their upperends beyond the body oit the block when the latter is raised in itssleeve or shell, and so serve to h old the block and clamp in theirupper position by projecting over the edge ot the shell; and their enosare bent inwardly and pass through openings in the Wall or flange ot thebutton recess or seat when the block is moved doivn into the shell sothat they then extend over the recess or seat. The block is provided inits base above the cross-pin ZI* with an axial recess or chamber 7)?opening into the transverse channel of and forming a seat for anexpansion coil-spring 22S which presses the cross or bovv portion c ofthe clamp normally against the cross-pin by reacting against the upperivall ot its cham bei' and the bovv portion ot the clamp. The cross-pinis so located and positioned and, the parts are so proportioned that theinner ends of the jaws or clamp when pressed. into position over theseat or recess are spaced from the bottom ot the recess a distanceapproxiimitely equal to the thickness of the thinnest button heademployed in this class ot' work, shown tor example. in Fig. il. By thisconstruction when the block is in its upper position with the clamp opena button-head of minimum thickness may be placed in the seat or recessand then by pressing the block down into its shell the ends of thc clampare forced slightly upwardly by the action ot the edge ot the shell onthe curved parts c and then inwardly over the button-head, and thespring 58 being put under tension by the upward movement of the arms orclamp then reacts to draw the clamp down with its ends against and uponthe inverted lower tace or surface of the button-head to hold the prongsof the button in perpendicular position so that it will not be displacedor disalined.

during the subsequent manipulation of the fabric and other pai-ts of thepad or cushion.

lil/Then a button having a thicker head is einployed, as shown torexample in Fig. 5, the ends ot the clamp when forced upwardly by theaction of the edge of the shell on its curved portions bring the ends otthe clamp to position to take over the lower face or surface of the headwhen they are forced inwardly by the descent of the block and clamp intothe shell, and the reaction of the spring bg binds them on the head asbefore. rllhe spring bs allows the clamp to move longitudinally with`relation to the block any desired distance in order to enable the endsof Jthe clamp to straddle or take over the thickest button headeinployed in machines of this character, and

the spring then ret-racts the clamp along the block until the endsengage and positively hold the head in place. @rdinarily i it will besutticient it the ends ot the clamp rise to about the level ot the upperedge oit the block as the depth of recess or seat usually correspondswith the maximum thickness of the button-heads, but this may otl coursebe varied by varying the tension or torce of the spring; or the clampneed not be raised by the shell as the former descends in the latter asthe ends ot the clamp may be upturned as at c2 to ride or cam over thebutton-heads and raise the clamp to position and put its compensatingspring under tension. 1When the Work coinpleted by lifting the cushionor pad the blocks are drawn up to their raised positions when the clampsWill spring` to open position to release the button-heads- The presentdisclosure ot the principles of my invention in connection withapparatus represents a practical embodiment ot its several features, butl desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merelyillustrative and that the invention may be exemplied in other Ways.

I claim:

l. A button-support for tulting-machines comprising a hollowv body, ablock movable therein and having a button-seat, retaining means normallyout of position and movable into position to engage a butt-on head, anda spring carried by the block between the retaining means and block tomove the former toward the latter to space the retaining nieans apredetermined distance above the button-seat.

2. A button-support for Hitting-machines, consisting of an externalsleeve, a reciproeating block therein adapted to support the button, abutton-retaining device operated by the movement of said block in saidsleeve to retain the button-shank in a perpendicnlar position or torelease it, and a spring between the block and retaining device tonormally space the latter above the former at a rpredetermined distance.

3. A button-support tor hitting-machines, consisting of an externalsleeve, a recipro eating block fitted therein, a clamp operated by theinward movement of said block to clamp the head of a button to saidblock, and adapted to release said button-head When moved outwardly, andmeans expanding between the clamp and block to move the clamp into thesleeve lengthwise ol the block.

A. button-support for hitting-machines, consisting of an externalsleeve, a sliding block adapted to move in said sleeve, said block beingadapted to support a button at its upper end, laterally-movable clampsoperated by the movement of said block in said sleeve for clamping andreleasing the button-head, and a spring reacting between the clamp andblock to move the clamp into the sleeve lengthwise of the block.

5. rihe combination of an external sleeve, a block adapted to slidetherein, said block being adapted to support a button at its upper end,a clamp carried by said block, said clamp being arranged normally toproject outward beyond the inner edge of said sleeve and to be movedinward by the inward movementl of said block to engage said button,means for limiting the movement of said block, and a spring mounted inthe lower portion of the block acting on the clamp to draw the latterinto the sleeve to vary the space between the clamp and block.

6. The combination oil a sleeve, a block having vertical side slots anda transverse channel, a clamp consisting of a wire bent to substantiallyU-shape, the bow or' said wire being fitted in said channel and the sideportions o said wire being fitted in said slots and normally projectingoutward, the upper' ends of said wire being bent inward, and a springbetween the bow of the clamp and the block to vary the space between theupper ends of the wire and the block.

7. The combination of a tuting-board, one or more perpendicular tufterssecured thereto, each of said tufters carrying a button-supporting blockand a button-holding clamp, said blocks being movable longitudinally ofsaid tufters and being adapted by such longitudinal movement to operatesaid clamps to engage or release a button, and a spring supported in theblock reacting between the block and the clamp to draw the latter towardthe former.

8. A button support comprising a cylindrical body, a block movabletherein and having a buttonseat at its top and a transverse channel atits bottom, a U-shape spring clamp having its bow in the channel and itsends extending above the seat, a cross-pin in the block below the bow,and a spring reacting between the bow and block to move the clamp towardthe block.

9. A button support, comprising a cylindrical body, a block movabletherein and having a button seat at its top and an axial recess in itslower end and a transverse channel below the recess, a U-shape springclamp having its bow in the channel and its ends extending above theseat, a cross-pin in the block below the bow, and a spring in the axialrecess reacting between the bow and block to allow the bow to rise todifferent distances above the cross-pin.

ln testimony whereof l ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN L. FRESHEL. lVitnesses:

ROY C. MANsoN, J. MoRoBERTs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

